


Nefelibata

by Sin_of_the_Fallen



Series: Works in Second Person POV [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Awesome Pepper Potts, BAMF Pepper Potts, Gen, Implied Relationships, Literal Emotional Manipulation, POV Second Person, Pepper Potts Terrifies SHEILD, Potential Relationships, Reader-Insert, Reader-freeform, Sentinel Senses, Sentinel/Guide Bonding, Worldbuilding, mentions of blackmail, mentions of human experimentation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-06
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-12 01:44:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2091165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sin_of_the_Fallen/pseuds/Sin_of_the_Fallen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nefelibata-(n.) lit. "cloud-walker"; one who lives in the clouds of their own imagination or dreams, or one who does not obey the conventions of society, literature, or art.</p><p>You knew Tony Stark would be a challenge, but you really didn't anticipate just how much of a trouble magnet the newly awakened Sentinel could be.</p><p>-------<br/>This is set in the Iron Man 1 timeline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Murphy's Law Ensues

**Author's Note:**

> Please remember to leave a comment if you have questions! I will reply as soon as I can.

 

You sighed heavily, politely refraining from rolling your eyes at the pompous moron that was currently denying you access to the higher levels of Stark Industries. After all the work Pepper Potts had to do to get you out of the government’s grasping paws-

 

* * *

  

“Mr. Coulson, either you let my new employee go or I will make this situation very, very public. To be frank, you are holding a newly ascended, _unbonded_ Alpha Guide hostage. And on top that, you are coercing some of the highest ranked services from said hostage for a mere pittance of the money those services would net on the free market. Do you understand how close to slavery this situation is coming Mr. Coulson?

 

I will alert the Centre for Guides and Sentinels, every major broadcast station in America, and every human rights group I can find as to what you have done. I will spread out all of your dirty linen for the world to scrutinize, and I will ensure _no one_ from your organization escapes the backlash.

 

 _Do you understand your position Mr. Coulson?_ ”

 

“… We will provide transportation to Stark Industries’ California headquarters.”

 

“I’m glad you see it my way Mr. Coulson. We will be expecting full release and transportation to occur in three days. If you happen to be late Mr. Coulson, I will enact my countermeasures.

 

Do not be late Mr. Coulson.”

 

* * *

 

 

Yes, after that, you would have assumed that Pepper Potts would have ensured everything would be running like clock-

 

You quit paying attention to the annoying pissant and direct your senses upwards as much as you can. It is quite the strain to reach out so far while remaining firmly in control of your unconscious projection, but you knew that feeling. After working in the ultra-secret hospital, the indications of a Zoning Sentinel are as familiar as your own heartbeat.

 

The Sentinel is powerful if they can reach your senses from several hundred yards away, but just because a high ranked Beta or Alpha Sentinel is Zoning, it doesn’t mean that they’re truly in need of your services. Generally, Sentinels are capable of controlling themselves to the point Zoning is a highly unusual occurrence in their daily lives. And if they don’t have the control their gift requires, they either work with a Guide(Bonded to them or not,) or they take Suppressant. Still, you wait to see if the Sentinel’s Zoning is quickly resolved; just in case. Odds are that the Sentinel isn’t Tony Stark.

 

But the problem is, the Sentinel isn’t coming out from their Zoning. It’s getting worse, pinging on your radar harder and harder till it’s like taking a battering ram on your Guide senses. And this woman just keeps jabbering away like there isn’t a Sentinel entering clinical distress and _you can’t fucking get to them._

 

Unhappy, furious, and so afraid because you can actually feel the Sentinel all the way down here, the woman quickly swoons under your projected emotions even as you pull out your cell and redial Pepper Potts’ number. You don’t even notice that your control has rapidly deteriorated, because you have bigger issues at hand than the involuntary sedation of the woman in front of you.

 

Pepper Potts answers on the second ring.

 

“Hello-” You don’t let her get another word in. “Ms. Potts I am here in the lobby and I can sense a Sentinel Zoning so powerfully _I can feel them in your goddamn lobby._ Give me clearance so I can do my job and get to the Sentinel.”

 

You feel a bit of guilt at talking to her so harshly, but it really isn’t the time to dance around the issue.

 

“What?! JARVIS-”

 

A smooth, British male's voice cuts in over Pepper’s voice. “You are now authorized Guide-” Again, you do not have time for this! “Get me to the Sentinel Jarvis, I’m assuming it’s Mr. Stark, and get me there now!” Even as you shout into the cell, you charge into the elevator that has automatically opened at what you assume is Jarvis’ command.

 

The elevator takes off like a shot, zooming along so fast it’s almost a surprise that your aren’t experiencing any noticeable increase in G-Force. The doors open and you bolt, unerring navigating the hallways with both your senses and Jarvis’ directions, quickly reaching the distressed Sentinel. You slam the door open that conceals the Sentinel, which _is_ Tony Stark, and you rush to his side while dropping the phone.

 

Tony Stark was on his knees, staring out of the clear window, pupils dilated so wide his irises appeared to be black naturally. His breathing was shallow and erratic, body trembling, and you swore internally because they hadn’t even bothered to tell you how many senses his newly awakened Sentinel gifts encompassed.

 

Sentinels’ gifts lay in supernaturally enhanced senses, along with the stronger Sentinels being naturally physically stronger and tougher than even the most impressive pure human comparison. A Sentinel’s power was judged by how many of the five human senses were heightened, and then by how strong and finely tuned the senses were. Of course there were some unique drawbacks to Sentinel gifts, just like Guides.

 

Sentinels found it exceedingly difficult to live without being Bonded, their senses making the modern world torturous without a Guide helping to ground and shield them from themselves. Control had to be exercised every moment because the stronger the Sentinel was, the stronger the Sentinel instincts would manifest, and those instincts were violently volatile.

 

And of course, each heightened sense could trigger a Zone Out, or better known as Zoning. Zoning is when a Sentinel focuses so much on a sense, or senses, that their mind cannot pull away from the sense triggered. For example, the ocean flashing in the sunlight was infamous for causing Sentinels gifted with enhanced vision to obsessively focus on the ocean to the exclusion of everything else. Zoning is incredibly dangerous to Sentinels’ health for two reasons. First, Sentinels cannot pull out a Zoning under their own power. And secondly, regardless of personal power, the more intense a Zoning is and the longer it lasts, the harder it is for a Guide to pull the Sentinel out of it through Grounding and Anchoring. If the Sentinel is not pulled out in time, the percent of permanent catatonia is approximately 96%.

 

Knowing what senses a Sentinel could be Zoned by was important in helping Guides pull the Sentinel back, and understanding the power and sensitivity of those senses tended to be critical in helping the Zoning Sentinel. Unfortunately, you had not even the slightest bit of information on Tony Stark’s Sentinel gifts, aside from learning he was probably Alpha class based on how you could feel him from so far away. So you would have to do this the hard way.

 

Protocol dictated that the Guide was to treat Sentinels with unknown capabilities like they were Alpha Sentinels strongly gifted in all five senses, and thus the Guide had to attempt thoroughly soothe each of the senses. The standard treatment was inefficient and time consuming, especially when the unknown information could reduce wasted time a Sentinel could hardly afford, but it was protocol for a reason.

 

Carefully you leaned in and cupped his face in your palms, looking for the indicators of what you suspected to be the culprit behind the intense Zoning. Examining the whites of Stark’s eyes, you spot the handful of miniscule purple flecks that confirm Stark has been taking Suppressant but allowed his body to begin cleaning the drug from his system on accident.

 

You scowled harshly at the Zoning man, cursing him for resorting to such measures. Even if the man did probably have an untreated case of PTSD, he was a genius and should have known better than to turn to the drug.

 

Suppressant was a drug exclusively made for Sentinels and Guides and each prescription had to be customized to the individual. It dulled the Sentinel’s senses or the Guide’s abilities to each individual’s specific point of regaining control of their abilities, and it was only to be administered if the individual had proven to be incapable of functioning without the drug’s aid. Suppressant was also a _highly_ regulated drug, and for good reason too.

 

When young and developing Sentinels and Guides were overexposed to the drug, chances of brain damage and acquiring a permanent addiction soared to 93%. The brain damage was irreversible, and while Bonding could theoretically cure the addiction to the drug, the addict’s senses are so dull that no Bonding has ever been recorded for any addict.

 

And since Stark had started self-dosing himself Suppressant, without Pepper Potts’ knowledge you would bet, both of you would need to evaluate his condition after you brought him out of his Zoning. It was going to be hellish, and you knew that the PTSD was going to bite your collective asses when the both of you could finally get down to business.

 

Now that you felt like you understood the circumstances behind the Zoning a little more, it was time to get to work.

 

Releasing what control still remained over your projection, you focused on Stark and began radiating peace and the silent command for Stark to pay attention to _you._ Reaching inwards, you grasped onto the innate grounded stability of your powers. With Stark so close and in physical contact, it was easy to start Anchoring his senses to you.

 

He was in no condition to try and throw off your ties of binding, and slowly, oh so slowly, you began the process of simultaneously Anchoring and Grounding.

 

“Tony Stark, listen to me. I am a Guide and I am here to help you. Focus on my voice Tony,” Carefully you pulled his head to rest over your heart, positioning the Sentinel’s skull so he could hear the thrum of your heart while keeping his nose within easy sniffing range of your neck.

 

“Listen to the beat of my heart, the dull roar of blood pumping through my veins, the sound of my lungs inhaling and exhaling, and the vibrations of my vocal chords. Focus on these sounds Tony. I am _here_ and so are you.”

 

You tilted your neck closer to his nose, preparing for the next sense.

 

“Focus on my scent Tony. Can you smell my shampoo and conditioner? My body wash?” His breathing was getting better now that he was following your commands, but it still needed improvement. “Breathe in Tony, yes, just like that, nice and slow and deep. That is my scent, my own unique smell. Can you smell yours? Ah, yes, there we go.”

 

Now that Tony was Anchored in scent, his breathing was back to normal and you could feel his hearing and sense of smell were Grounding nicely. Slowly, you tilted your face to make eye contact with the Sentinel, ignoring the small flare of irritation seeing that seeing the traces of Suppressant brought.

 

“Look at me Tony, yes, look at _me_. See my face? This is me. See my eyes, my lips, my nose? See the precise, white lines on my face? Those are my scars Tony; I have gone through something similar to your situation, but we are not where we gained those scars. I am here and so are you.

 

Focus on my hands on your face Tony. Can you feel them? I have callouses from my work, but my hands are still smooth, not leathery with age.”

 

As he slowly wraps his arms around your waist it takes a great deal of willpower to refrain from jolting in shock. You hadn’t expected him to move on his own yet, but it was an excellent sign.

 

“Your arms are wrapping around my waist Tony, feel it? Can you feel my chest rising and falling under your head, pushing and contracting against your arms? There, yes, good. I think we’ve almost got you home free Tony, just keep listening to my voice.

 

Focus on your tongue Tony, concentrate on the taste of your morning coffee still lingering in your tastebuds. Can you taste it? Open your mouth, yes, like that, and breathe in using your mouth. Can you taste the scents on the air?”

 

You smiled to yourself as he slowly moved his head to give a nod.

 

“You can? Excellent.”

 

Overall, you are pleased with how well Tony is coming out of the Zoning. While you still have no idea how many senses Tony has, or what sent him into the Zone Out, you feel confident that with your Anchoring and Grounding, Tony will fully come back to himself in about ten minutes. Of course, it will take only ten minutes if nobody tries to barge in, which hopefully they won’t. It’s basic knowledge of what _not_ to do with a Sentinel attempting to come out of a Zoning; the Sentinel instincts just might surface with a vengeance…

 

Of course, just as you thought of what could make the situation worse, the universe promptly delivered such a situation.

 

Your first clue that trouble was afoot was when Tony’s arms around your waist tightened measurably. Initially you had thought it was a sign Tony was entering the final stages of leaving the Zoning. But when his head lifted off of your chest to glare over your shoulder, the beginnings of a snarl erupting in his throat, you knew the situation had taken a dangerous turn.

 

“What on Earth is going on here?! Tony, what the hell are you doing on the floor, and who the hell is this?!”

 

Taking a deep breath, you resolved to not knock out the dimwitted excuse of a Guide, least it trigger the Sentinel’s more deadly instincts. The man could clearly tell Tony was a Zoning Sentinel and _every_ human knew that once a Guide got to a Zoning Sentinel _you do not approach until the Guide gave the all clear_. It was basic survival knowledge, like not sticking your unprotected hand into a fire.

 

Sentinels are notorious for slipping into a more primal state during emotional distress and Zoning, but if they felt the Guide working on them was threatened - and heaven forbid it was their Bonded, because even pacifist Sentinels were known to kill for their Bonded- there was a 97% chance the Sentinel would slip into a berserker state.

 

As you felt the brainless wonder move closer, you began to pale in absolute horror as you registered what he was attempting. He was trying to use his _empathic powers_ on Tony. This was bad, hell, this was so bad you couldn’t think of an explicative for this situation. Was the Guide trying to make Tony go absolutely postal?!

 

Tony was snarling outright now, crushing you into his chest as instincts he had no idea how to handle demanded **_protect Guide/ threat/KILL THE ENEMEY._** You could hear the man was still advancing, daring Tony to attack, and you had no other choice than to fulfill Hojo’s dreams of an offensive Guide.

 

Having multiple targets while trying to project two very different cocktails of emotions was risky, but you really didn’t want to chance having to try and explain to a judge why Tony Stark had maimed or killed the intruding Guide. This wasn’t your first choice for resolving the situation, but since knocking out anyone was inadvisable and you couldn’t physically move, you didn’t really have any other options.

 

Taking a deep calming breath, you spoke while carefully bombarding the Guide with enough fear to trigger the flight response.

 

“Stop right there, and do not come any closer. You will leave immediately, and do not come back Guide, least Sentinel Stark decides to act on his instincts. And if I ever catch you near another Zoning Sentinel, not only will I report you to the CGS - which I will be doing so immediately for what you just tried to pull- I will have you hauled to court on as many charges as I can slap on you. Now _leave_!”

 

The Guide retreated as soon as you finished speaking, running blindly for his life no doubt, and Tony’s snarl petered off. You didn’t expect him to begin speaking though.

 

“Damn. Where did Pepper find you? I haven’t seen anyone steamroll and fucking dominate Obie in years!” Tony’s voice was still deep, meaning he was still experiencing Zoning symptoms and that his Sentinel instincts were still active, but speaking was a good sign.

 

“Hi there. How much do you remember after you started Zoning?”

 

His head fell back to your chest, seeking out your heartbeat. “Was that what it was? Zoning? Weird. I can remember you talking to me, moving me, but it’s fuzzy where Obie came in.”

 

Thank goodness. “That’s great news. The fact you can remember me speaking to you and my actions means that future Zoning won’t be as difficult as some cases can be. I know of a Sentinel who can’t remember anything from during a Zone Out, and he’s the toughest Sentinel to Ground and Anchor I’ve ever encountered.”

 

Your head started to pound a bit, and with an inward wince you finally ceased projecting pure flight-engineering fear. Tony had distracted you long enough that the sustained strain of projecting to that Guide, on top of keeping Tony Grounded and Anchored, was going to give you one hell of a migraine.

 

“And the fact your memories are blurred from when the Guide came in, well that’s easy to explain.”

 

Tony’s head suddenly shot up off your chest and he stared straight into your eyes, surprising you greatly with the action.

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean by _Guide_? I’ve known Obadiah Stane for years, and I know for a fact he isn’t a Guide.”

 

You involuntarily snorted in bemusement. “Just like you aren’t a Sentinel all of sudden?”

 

He made a face at that. “Alright, alright, you made your point. Can you just rewind to when Pepper contacted you and start from there? I’m starting to think Pepper left out a lot of details.”

 

You sigh, but nod.

 

This is going to take awhile.


	2. Chit Chat and Christening

 

You knew Tony Stark would be a challenge, but you really hadn’t anticipated just how much of a trouble magnet the newly awakened Sentinel could be.

* * *

 

 

A debriefing you had anticipating only taking a few hours at the most had extended well into the night, since Tony really hadn’t researched Sentinels at all. It was sort of ironic just how ignorant he was, because Stark Industries was one of the leaders in the market catering to the special needs of Sentinels and Guides.

 

He claimed he had been more focused on refining the miniature Arc Reactor in his chest (which you understood completely,) and his battle suit (which you thought really could have waited a bit.) He had decided that with Suppressant’s help he could stall the new Sentinel side of the equation until he finished his two projects first. Tony’s explanations had also clued you in to the fact that just because Tony was a genius, that didn’t mean he didn’t have some truly spectacular moments of stupidity like the rest of humanity.

 

You had promptly socked him in the shoulder and educated him about how stupid it was to take drugs he knew nothing about. Tony had been pretty pasty when you brought up the potential for brain damage, but you did assure him it took longer than the few days he had been on Suppressant.

 

“So you said you had experienced something similar to my abduction during my Zone Out…”

 

“Yes, I did. I was kidnapped as well, but I was kidnapped by an insane lunatic and was experimented on by said lunatic.”

 

“So what did he do? Would I have known him? You _do_ have some fine surgical scars on your face…”

 

“His name was Hojo Mori if that helps.”

 

“Nope. Never met him, never heard of him.”

 

“Ah. Well I have no idea what he did to me, primarily because he kept me unconscious the entire time he had me. Also, the bastard never really wrote down what his plans were, and he encrypted whatever tidbits he did happen to put on paper. All I know is that it had to do with potentially weaponizing Guides, and that it left some noticeable, permanent side-effects as well.”

 

Tony finally got up, grabbed a manila file from the desk, before plopping back down to the floor and snuggling close again. He opened and started reading the information within like he hadn’t decided it was snuggle-time, ignoring any possible retaliation for his highhanded presumptuousness. Good thing you were utterly inured to random strangers looking for cuddles, because when you’re a Guide, someone always gets the urge to cuddle you; plus, Sentinels took home that prize cake and ate it.

 

“Okay. So Pepper went looking for a Guide with your specialization in order to help me –remind me to get her something _really_ nice for that- , came across someone you recently worked on in a secret government facility, and they started bragging about you. At least that’s what Pepper wrote here on this report, which I really should’ve looked at before now. Then she decided that based on the artificial Ascention to Alpha-level Guide and your well-documented inability to Bond on Affinity that you’re perfect for the job. After that she contacted you via JARVIS assisted hacking, then you accepted the proposal, and Pepper threatened the US government.”

 

“That’s how it went down, in a really small nutshell. So, two things. One, Phil’s gonna be pissed someone blabbed. It _was_ an ultra-secret hospital for a reason you know. And secondly, who is Jarvis? He helped me get to you earlier, but I didn’t have time to make nice and be polite.”

 

“Since Pepper included a secrecy clause in the contract that doesn’t expire, and is binding until I give you express leave to discuss whatever it is I don’t want public, I’ll tell you. JARVIS is a fully-aware AI I created.”

 

“Holy hell. I knew you were a genius, but I didn’t know you were a genius _to genii_.”

 

“Thanks.” He looked between a cross between smug, flattered, embarrassed, and proud. It mostly came across as him looking like a smug snake though.

 

Tony looked like he was revving up for a quip or three, but his attention was noticeably derailed by something in the folder.

 

“Hey, that’s weird. Pepper’s file on you doesn’t include your name, or whatever you refer to yourself with. In fact, your name doesn’t appear _anywhere_ , including the information she provided that predates the kidnapping, and that should’ve had your name for sure. Why’s that, and what is your name?”

 

“Well…that’s a little complicated. Hojo had a telepath on retainer, and had her erase his victims’ personalities. He wanted his potential weapons to be pliable, since he knew we’d never do his bidding, but he was careful to order her to _not_ lobotomize us in the process; he didn’t want his weapons useless because we couldn’t even manage to think on the level of infants. She had started on me by loosening my association between my name and my personality, but Hojo had her stop at that point for some reason, and they were caught before she could finish the job.

 

It didn’t do too much to me, except my birth name doesn’t register as _mine_ anymore. I don’t respond to it, and I can’t really keep my old name in my memory either. Every time I tried to recondition myself to at least respond to the name, I’d completely forget it and undo whatever progress I made within a couple of hours. Everyone at the hospital mostly just stuck to addressing me as ‘You.’ Since it’s not my birth name, I can register and respond to it.”

 

“So, you effectively have no name anymore?”

 

“Pretty much. It’s probably why Pepper didn’t include my birth name, or Phil redacted it as passive-aggressive petty vengeance.”

 

“You know, we could just switch your name to Yuu if your birth name won’t work for you anymore.”

 

“What. You’re suggesting I rename myself to You? Are you kidding me?”

 

“Nope! Yuu is a Japanese name, but it sounds perfectly identical to the English _You._ Solves your name issue pretty neatly doesn’t it?”

 

“…You aren’t pulling my leg, are you.”

 

“You wound me Yuu. Would I ever joke about something so serious to you?”

 

“How the hell would I know? I’ve known you for less than a day. … But I guess your idea works, though if anyone asks, I’m telling them it was you who renamed me.”

 

“That’s fine with me. I'll even say it's your official, permanent nickname if you want.”

 

You gave him your best arch look.

 

“So I now have a first name, which is essentially a second-person pronoun; lovely. Any ideas for a new surname, O clever one?”

 

“Ooh, I _like_ that nickname. Stick to it.”

 

“I don’t think I will. Your ego doesn’t need that much pandering.”

 

“I disagree with that sentiment completely. And you do as well, remember that line about being a “genius to genii?”

 

“I meant that, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to fall all over myself to pay you flattery. But, we’re going to be here till tomorrow night if we don’t get down to business. And I’d bet you’re going to love the kind sleep a Guide can give if they’re in a good mood.”

 

You saw the look on his face at that, rethought that last sentence, but soldiered on through your blunder.

 

“So, who’s that moronic Guide who charged in here bellowing like he had some right to barge in?”

 

Tony raised an eyebrow. “That would be Obadiah Stane; he’s practically my uncle.”

 

“Your uncle is a blithering idiot. Any human, let alone a _Guide_ , would’ve known how stupid that crap he pulled was.”

 

Tony tensed, tension coiling in his face as he tried to seem as if your words weren’t of any import; he didn’t know he was too fresh from the kidnapping to have it work.

 

“I find it funny you keep calling him a Guide, when I know he isn’t. And I’ve known him my entire life.”

 

You frown at him in confusion. True, it was possible the Guide could be a very private individual who never wished to expose that part of himself to the public eye, but Tony had known the man for decades. And he was adamant that this Stane wasn’t a Guide. This was looking really, really ugly.

 

“Sorry to ruin your image of your uncle figure Tony, but I can confirm he’s a Guide, if a pretty weak one. Guide Stane is almost certainly Omega-class, but when you’re clever, sneaky, and you have a ton of time, you don’t really _need_ sheer power.

 

And I can also confirm he isn’t a newly emerged mutant or Awakened Guide. Mutant empaths can’t quite match a Guide. There’s a certain feel to our powers that they can’t mimic, not even enough to make the sensation feel even close to similar.

 

Guides are the same as mutants, we can’t fool anyone into thinking we’re just mutant empaths. And we can’t hide the signs that spell out how long we’ve had our powers. His control and subtlety are major declarations of many years of experience, control, and practice.”

 

Tony did not look happy.

 

“And you’re saying that he’s been lying to me my whole life, and he knew he was doing when I Zoned Out?”

 

“Unfortunately, yes. I can have the local CGS confirm it if we call them in. And if it turns out he’s unregistered… Well. In light of what he tried to pull with you, and what that implies for his daily behavior, he’d not only face heavy sanctions from the government and the CGS, but they might contact Professor Xavier.

 

It’s not without precedent to call in a trustworthy telepath to see if Guides have been secretly abusing their powers. Short-term manipulation is usually easy to spot and can be corrected with careful aid and time, but when we’re talking long-term potential exposure -which it always is in these cases- you really can’t tell what was a natural shift over time from what was slowly coerced into being. The victim won’t know either, and it’s best not to pressure them too much about it; tends to lead to an existential crisis if I remember correctly.

 

It’s like Pavlov’s Dog, but instead of sounds, you use empathy, projection, or one of the more esoteric and spiritual Guide gifts to condition the behavior you want. Whenever you want someone to like you, or whatever you want to shape the victim into, you just manipulate how they feel subtly, carefully, and slowly enough they don’t notice the coercion and that those around them take it as a natural shift.”

 

“You do understand that with what you’re insinuating about Obie that I might be one of these victims?”

 

You give a one-shouldered shrug, but make sure to cuddle him close and carefully project a field of noticeably artificial calm; can’t have him panicking, sinking into a paranoia fueled frenzy, or thinking you would sink to manipulating him like that.

 

“Well, I think it’s best to deal with this quickly and directly, and get to focusing on your health and control. Lying to you and putting you into a position of vulnerability while you’re trying to recover would be an extremely stupid move on my part. I’m supposed to heal you, not hurt you.”

 

That got a weak chuckle out of Tony, and based on the mutually continued snuggling, he wasn’t going to suspect you of possibly trying to pull a stunt like Guide Stane.

 

“Come on, let’s get going. I want to get some sleep after all today’s events, and I know you do too. So take me to your house so we can get down to working on correcting the fact I’m still consciousness.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“I’m a live-in sort of Guide Tony. It’s in the contract too. I get my own bed and room, right next to you.”

 

“You’re joking, right? How am I supposed to bring home the ladies when someone’s living in my bachelor pad?”

 

“Dead serious. And if you’re saying that _I_ could halt the great Tony Stark in his pursuit of the criminally hot chicks, then you _really_ need to upgrade your game, to match your Casanova fame.”

 

“Oh my god, please tell me you didn’t try to throw in a rhyme scheme in a real life conversation.”

 

“Sorry, no can do. I’ve bid that opportunity adieu.”

 

“ _Oh God. We are leaving before you can embarrass me further._ ”

 

“Are you blushing? You must be, ‘cause now we’re rushing.”

 

“ _Just shut up Yuu._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I didn't invent the name, nor was I lying about how English speakers can't distinguish between You/Yuu based on what they hear. It IS my way of giving You a name-that-technically-isn't-a-name. And Tony does actually think of this as You's official nickname, but he gets the fact the name thing is serious to You. So he just decided he was going to skip over that entire minefield and rename You so neither of you two have to address it.
> 
> As always, comments and questions are welcome.


End file.
